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Galindo Neighborhood Vertical Mixed Use (VMU)
   
 

Dear Neighbors,

The City of Austin has designated South First Street as a Future Transit Corridor, which means the Vertical Mixed Use ordinance applies to most properties along South First Street.

The Vertical mixed–use ordinance is designed to create pedestrian friendly streetscapes by relaxing design and development standards to accommodate mixed- use buildings. Mixed-use means a combination of living and workspace occupy the same site. Usually a store or business on the ground floor with at least one floor of living residential space above.

If a developer wishes to take advantage of the relaxed building standards, it must insure that a minimum of 10% of the apartments meet income eligibility requirements as determined by neighborhood recommendation and subject to city council approval.

The GENA executive committee proposes that all properties taking advantage of the relaxed standards use 60% of median multifamily income as the basis for determining low income eligibility for the development.

Because South First is in the urban core, developers are already allowed 20% reduction in required parking so the committee proposes no additional parking reductions be given.

Below are the properties designated as Opt out. This means these properties are subject to the VMU ordinance and the relaxed development standards.

South First
3828, 3816, 3810, 3706, 3704, 2910, 2906, 2804, 2706, 2702, 2608, 2606, 2604, 2410, 2414, 2408, 2406, 2400.
604 Cumberland and 601 Oltorf are also in the Opt out category.

The Opt In properties listed below are not currently subject to the ordinance but can be included if the property owners and the neighborhood agree.

South First 605, 3000, 2900, 2612.

This is a complicated issue and I encourage all interested parties to contact the city’s Neighborhood Planning and Zoning department at 974-7668 with any questions and to attend the Galindo Elementary Neighborhood Association meeting on May 21 at 7:00 to learn more about this process and how it affects your neighborhood.

Patty Sprinkle
GENA President

Click here to view an index of images of properties along South First and Ben White Blvd.
The next GENA Neighborhood meeting will be on Monday, May 21th at 7pm. Meetings are held in the second floor conference room at Lifeworks - 3700 South First. Come early to meet with your neighbors.
 
   
City of Austin Neighborhood Planning Links
 

South Lamar Combined Neighborhood Planning Area (SLCNA)
Meeting materials as well as minutes, handouts and other useful information relating to the planning process.

Overview of Neighborhood Planning - The process asks members of the community to address the local issues and concerns that affect them, their families, and their neighbors, and participate in decisionmaking.